Former Dell Computers chief in India, Rajan Anandan, has been appointed as the Managing Director of Sales Marketing and Services business of Microsoft India Pvt Ltd. He will report directly to Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman of Microsoft India. Anandan was previously the Vice President and Country General Manager for Dell India. Anandan has been appointed to fill the gap caused by the departure of Neelam Dhawan, who left Microsoft in June this year after three-and-a-half years, to take the role of Managing Director of HP India.
Microsoft has also announced appointment of Jaspreet Bindra as the head of the entertainment and devices (E&D) division in India. Bindra was heading up the online business MSN India. Both the appointment will come into affect from September 1.
Anandan, who has over 16 years of working experience in the industry working with the likes of McKinsey and Dell, has quit his job in early June this year. He was leading Dell India from May 2006 and was replaced by Sameer garde at Dell. His leadership at Dell India has been credited for incease in revenues from from $250 million to over $800 million in revenues, a press release claimed. He has also served a stint as the Executive Assistant to Michael Dell, Chairman, Dell Computers.
An alumnus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Anandan also holds a Master's degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University. Anandan, who is also an angel investor in India (as a member of Indian Angel Network), had recently invested in a Sri Lankan managed IT services company Eureka Technology Partners.
Jaspreet Bindra, who has been appointed as the head of its E&D division, has been with Microsoft India since 2005. He was till now working as country manager, online services group. Bindra will now be responsible for the Microsoft E&D products, services and solutions, including the popular XBox, in the country. The company has not said who would be heading up MSN India.